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SD Card to Dropbox upload question

If this is a basic question then we apologise, but we are confused.

Having looked in the Help area we see that it says is possible to transfer files (in this case photos) from an SD card into Dropbox, using the mobile app on an iPhone. We are a wildlife conservation team and would like to be able to do this for infield teams.

Unfortunately we cannot get this to work and need some help please.

The instructions say that "if you cannot find the SD card you need to verify that "Show advanced devices" is checked in "Settings"". No such option exists. We cannot see the SD card connected to the phone, in order to then select the images to upload directly to Dropbox in the app.

We do not want the images to upload from the SD card to the phone. This we can easily do already. We also do not want to upload to the phone and from the phone to Dropbox. The instructions tell everyone that direct SD card to Dropbox upload is possible.

However, is this possible (as Dropbox claim it is), and if so how please?

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has the answer.

Many thanks

Eric @ 5WF

Phones tried: iPhone 8, 10, and latest XE ... fully up to date iOS and Dropbox app versions.

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Rich

@5WF wrote:
Having looked in the Help area we see that it says is possible to transfer files (in this case photos) from an SD card into Dropbox, using the mobile app on an iPhone.

Importing photos from an SD Card is an option that's available on the Dropbox desktop application; not the mobile app. The mobile app has the Camera Uploads feature that will automatically upload photos and videos from your phone's camera roll, but it will not upload photos from other media. The desktop application has a similar Camera Uploads feature and it's used to import photos and videos from flash media such as SD cards and other USB devices.

https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/photos/camera-uploads-overview

5WF

Thank you for the prompt reply @Rich.

If it is not possible to upload directly from an SD card to Dropbox, from the Dropbox app, then may we suggest that you or Dropbox change the instructions on the Support section. What is there currently is incorrect and misleading to those who attempt to use it.

Only being able to upload directly from SD card to Dropbox using a desktop completely defeats the practical use of Dropbox for field conservation in this extensive use case.

We were assured direct mobile upload was possible when the Sales team attempted to sell us an extensive package.

It is a good thing we checked before expanding our account with Dropbox, as that may have been an expensive error for us.

I am afraid we will need to seek an alternative provider. Our charity does not have the money or time to waste on solutions which do not work as promised, either for us internally, or the dozens of infield conservation teams we purchase solutions for.

Many thanks again.

cc: @Jay @sales

Hannah

Hey @5WF, thanks for reaching out to our Community.

Would you mind clarifying something for me?

After opening the Dropbox app on your phone and tapping on the (+) create button, did you tap on 'upload photo' or 'create or upload file'?

If you tapped on 'upload photo', can you try the other option instead, to see if it works?

5WF

Good morning @Hannah

Thank you for your reply.

So far we have tried "upload photos", "create folder" (which obviously we discovered had no option we needed), "create or upload file", "transfer files", and of course "take photos" (which again didn't work, but we thought it worth a try).

None of the above enabled us to locate the plugged in SD Card or the images thereon.

The only successful method of getting the images from the SD card to the Dropbox has been uploading from the SD card onto the phone, and from there transferring them to the Dropbox.

This method is time consuming (selecting, uploading, deleting, and repeating this potentially dozens of times due to the number of images, size of images or the memory on the users phone) and uses too much of the users phone memory. It would be fine in an office environment but completely impractical for an infield user.

Did you have an alternate suggestion in mind?

Many thanks.

5WF

Hi@"Hannah"

Any further thoughts please?

Many thanks

Hannah

Would it be possible to send us a short screen recording of what you see when you follow the steps described in the article?

Or perhaps a series of screenshots showing the steps you follow.

Thanks so much!

5WF

No, I'm afraid it would not be possible, nor should it be required.

If Dropbox mobile app is not capable of importing multiple images from an SD card directly, without uploading to the phone, then please just say so.

What we have been able to establish is that uploading an SD Card of a single image only is possible under the following conditions;

1) an existing folder must already have been created in Dropbox, not through the mobile app but through the PC browser site.

2) the selection of the image must be through the "create or upload file" menu.

However;

3) The upload is only possible if the folder exists first and

4) The upload is restricted to only 1 image at a time. - completely impractical if the conservationists have 100 images to upload ... and there is no other method available for uploading multiple files of images that we can find.

I'm afraid we have no time, or to be honest interest, in making movies showing what we are more than capable of ascertaining for ourselves, namely that we are following the correct procedure, as laid out in the instructions.

The importation of multiple images from an SD card to a Dropbox account with a few simple clicks/selections should be a basic function for the Dropbox mobile app to perform.

Very disappointing it does not seem to be possible.

No wonder @sales were so keen we should purchase the expensive package before asking questions or evaluating if Dropbox was fit for purpose in this use case.

5WF

So no further suggestions or interest in assisting?

Walter

Hey @5WF, sorry to jump in here, but could we reach out via email to have a further look internally?

5WF

Good afternoon @Walter

We tried this as our first approach, before resorting to the forum option, as these rarely work in our experience.

Happy to try again, given what is a stake.

Speak soon.

Walter

Sure thing @5WF - you've got :envelope:

windwalkercj

I have this same issue and cannot find a fix. I, too, am out in the field and need to immediately upload video to Dropbox for others to use. This needs seriously to happen right away, not when the tech guys find “available” time to get around to fixing. I have a paid subscription and have used DB for well over ten years while at Microsoft, but if this app does not work the way I need it to, I will drop it in a heartbeat. BTW, I, too, do not have time to post either a movie or screenshots of “steps-to-replicate” as my filming takes precedent over “demonstrating” my tech issues due to the limited nature of available time, light and subjects in this wooded environment.

Working on a 5th generation 12.9 iPad Pro with iOS 15.5 while out in the wilderness. I do not and will not have access to a desktop, Mac or PC, so that is not an option for me. This is all so very disappointing and so am now looking for another app that can store these files as this is really something Dropbox should be able to do on both the mobile app and the desktop. The steps proposed so far in two forums from Dropbox moderators has not worked.

Windwalkercj at Windwalker Media

Hannah

Thanks for the nudge here, @windwalkercj.

We also appreciate your feedback about this. I'll make sure your comments are passed along to our team.

As a workaround, have you tried adding the files to Dropbox through your Files app?

You can go to your Files app, tap the "..." icon, and then "select", select the files you want to upload, tap the "share" option and select Dropbox from the options.

Select the location in Dropbox you want to add them and tap "save".

I hope this helps.

trishmennell

I feel your pain. I have been trying to upload to my iPad Pro all morning and experienced the same confusing instructions resulting in an hour wasted. Thanks, Dropbox.

trishmennell

This is not an internal issue, it is a request that Dropbox provide the correct information to users.

trishmennell

This needs to be the instructions posted on Dropbox, not a tip to be found in a thread.

Megan

Hi @trishmennell, thanks for posting here today!

Did you manage to upload your content using the steps Hannah had provided above? Do you face any problems when doing so?

Let me know!

iw00d

I have moved the camera's folder to my SD-card, and now the camera sync functionality is broken. Is there any way to camera-sync from other folders than the standard Android folder?

Rich

@iw00d wrote:
I have moved the camera's folder to my SD-card, and now the camera sync functionality is broken. Is there any way to camera-sync from other folders than the standard Android folder?

No, there isn't.

Maddilynxdimick

Hello. I'm looking for a solution to be able to move away from drop box, but be able to save and take all of my stored photos with me. I can't find a way to easily select the photos you would like to move to a memory card. Or possibly using as usbc as adaptor. However I still can't find a way to transfer photos off drop box to memory card. Please let me know if anyone has a solution or suggestions to help

Nancy

Hey @Maddilynxdimick! Can you describe to me the exact steps you’re taking to select your photos on the mobile app? Are you using the Photos tab?

I’ll be able to further guide you this way.

Maddilynxdimick

Yeah so the thing is I would like to export ALL of my photo off drop box and onto and SD card. I'm trying to understand if there is a possible way to select multiple photos and transfer them off drop box. Ive basically stopped wanting to continue paying for this subscription and hope to find a different solution

Hannah

Thanks for the clarification, @Maddilynxdimick.

While you can't do that using your mobile device, you can do it from a computer.

One way to go about it, is to install the Dropbox desktop app on your computer and sign in to your Dropbox account.

The app will create a local Dropbox folder on your computer and once you've made sure all your files are available offline, you can copy them to a USB drive.

To make a file/folder "available offline", right-click on it and choose "make available offline".

Another way to go about it, is to download your files from the Dropbox website and then move them to the USB drive.

I hope this helps!